The Levelland Lobos drop to 0-4 after suffering a 39-13 Homecoming loss against the Estacado Matadors, Friday at home. Personal fouls, unsportsmanlike penalties and stalled offensive drives plagued the Lobos from the start of the game. As unsportsmanlike penalties put the Lobos in tough positions, the Matadors struggled with playing a clean game as well. Estacado earned several unsportsmanlike calls throughout the game as well as having an ejection in the middle of the second quarter because of having two unsportsmanlike calls. Athletic Director and Head Coach of the Levelland Lobos Lyle Leong has continued to be pleased with the amount of heart and effort his team has played with each week. However, the self-inflicted penalties and mistakes against the Matadors feel like a step backwards in terms of the overall growth of his team.
“Like I always say, it comes down to us and what we are supposed to do if we want to have success in this game,” explained Coach Leong. “We have taken steps in the right direction each week, but I think we took a step backwards after this game. There is still a lot of football ahead of us and excuses won’t get us into the win column. I know the kids are frustrated with the results, but they also see the growth they have made since the beginning, and I know they are focused on continuing to get better.”
Through the first half of the schedule, the Lobo defense has proven to be one strongest sides of the ball. Coach Leong was proud of how well the defense continued to respond and stay focused through the second half when they could have closed shop.
“Defensively, those guys worked their tails off through four quarters,” said Coach Leong. “The score might not reflect how well they kept us within a fighting chance, but if we convert and put a few more points on the board, we look solid thanks to that side of the ball.”
Filled with energy from homecoming week and the opportunity to square off with rival Estacado, Coach Leong felt his team had a confident mindset for the tough game.
“We came out in the opening minutes of the first quarter playing well. As we progressed through the game is when we started to slow down and lost our momentum in the second quarter,” explained Leong. “Our kids have continued to show that they will not quite when they face adversity. These young men have fought to the end since week one, but the self-made mistakes made against a solid Estacado team did not help us stay in the fight.”
The Matadors got the first points on the scoreboard in the first quarter with five and a half minutes left. After forcing the Lobos to punt on during their opening drive, the Matadors connected on an inside slant route and made their way to the endzone for a 55-yard touchdown.
Estacado wrapped up the first quarter with a strong drive down the field and an eventual 15-yard touchdown for the second touchdown of the game.
With a loaded tackle box by the Matadors, the Lobos struggled to gain any offensive momentum. Between the Lobo running back tandem of Marco Guillen and Ladarian Jordan, both guys were struggling to get into the second level.
An exchange of possessions burned through the first half of the second quarter. A pass thrown by Levelland’s Konner Alexander bounced of a Lobo receiver and allowed for Estacado to intercept the pass with six minutes left in the first half. Estacado would find open field on a run down the sideline for 60-yard touchdown followed by another touchdown after stunting the Lobo offense on the ensuing possession. Headed into halftime, the Lobos trailed 27-0. Poor blocking, throws and lack of easy catches highlighted the Lobos efforts in the first half offensively. “Something we have struggled with is throwing and catching the ball,” said Coach Leong. “They put seven people in the box and dared us to throw the ball. We were unable to do that, and it was a tough battle. We tried a couple of different looks or formations to help our offense a bit.” The Matadors plans of loading the box continued in the second half. With their athletic abilities across all sides of the ball, they were also able to play man coverage. “Konner and Rusty both made some quality plays against Estacado, but there were missed throws and catches from the entire group,” explained Coach Leong. “We have to get on the same page. I think that was the difference between this week against the Matadors and last week against the Westerners. We played a more athletic team that was able to play man coverage and dared us to throw the ball.”
Coming out of halftime, the Lobos found their stride with three minutes left in the third quarter. Quick throws from Alexander allowed Levelland to get the ball moving into Estacado territory as senior Zameron LeCroy became the main target in the second half for Alexander.
As the Lobos marched down the field, Guillen capped off the drive with a touchdown run for six yards to get Levelland on the board.
The Lobos trailed the Matadors 27-7 heading into the final seconds of the third quarter when Estacado responded with an additional touchdown pushing their lead to 33-7.
Levelland’s final points of the game came in the fourth with nine minutes remaining. Alexander connected with LeCroy on a contested deep ball at the two-yard line. Hustling to the line with momentum on their side, Rusty Johnson took the snap at quarterback and found a small gap to get into the endzone.
“It’s going to be the same thing every week. Teams are going to see our film and keep filling the box with guys and dare us to throw the ball,” said Leong. We got to figure out a way to throw and catch the ball. Win or lose, we have to continue to find ways to get better and attack each week.”
Moving forward, Coach Leong emphasized how important it is to get better when it comes to penalties.
“We are never going to win if we get 27 penalties a night,” said Coach Leong.
The Levelland will stay home Friday and host the San Angelo Lakeview Chiefs at 7 p.m.
“We must continue to work, that is the name of the game. There is still a lot of football ahead of us and excuses won’t get us into the win column,” explained Leong. “I know the kids are frustrated with the results, but they see the growth they have made since the beginning, and I know they are focused on continuing to get better.”